Prevalence of cancer in relation to signs of periodontal inflammation

Abstract

We investigated the associations between periodontal inflammation (gingivitis and periodontitis) and all-kind malignancies, specifically breast and prostate cancer, in a cohort followed-up for 30 years. The study hypothesis was based on the oral inflammation vs. systemic health paradigm. A sample of 2,168 subjects from an original cohort of 105,718 individuals from the greater Stockholm area in Sweden that had been followed since 1985 was investigated. Swedish national health registers were used in the study. Chi-square tests and logistic multiple regression analyses were conducted. The results showed that periodontitis was significantly associated with any cancer after adjusting for gender, age, income, and education (p = 0.015). The probability of getting cancer increased on average by 38% if the patient had periodontitis vs. had not; the odds ratio was 1.380 (95% confidence interval l.066-1.786). No significant association was observed between periodontitis and breast cancer (p = 0.608), while the association between periodontitis and prostate cancer tended towards significance (p = 0.082). However, no statistically significant difference was found between the observed and the calculated distribution of any cancer in gingivitis groups (p = 0.079). Thus, the study hypothesis was partly confirmed by showing a statistically significant association between periodontitis and any cancer.